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Judith Jarvis Thomson (Judith Jarvis) was born on 4 October, 1929 in New York City, U.S., is an American philosopher (1929–2020). Discover Judith Jarvis Thomson's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is she in this year and how she spends money? Also learn how she earned most of networth at the age of 91 years old?

Popular As Judith Jarvis
Occupation N/A
Age 91 years old
Zodiac Sign Libra
Born 4 October 1929
Birthday 4 October
Birthplace New York City, U.S.
Date of death 20 November, 2020
Died Place Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 4 October. She is a member of famous philosopher with the age 91 years old group.

Judith Jarvis Thomson Height, Weight & Measurements

At 91 years old, Judith Jarvis Thomson height not available right now. We will update Judith Jarvis Thomson's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

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Who Is Judith Jarvis Thomson's Husband?

Her husband is James Thomson (m. 1962-1980)

Family
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Husband James Thomson (m. 1962-1980)
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Judith Jarvis Thomson Net Worth

Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Judith Jarvis Thomson worth at the age of 91 years old? Judith Jarvis Thomson’s income source is mostly from being a successful philosopher. She is from United States. We have estimated Judith Jarvis Thomson's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
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Timeline

1898

Her mother Helen (Vostry) Jarvis (1898-1935) was an English teacher, and her father Theodore Richard Jarvis (1896-1984) was an accountant.

1929

Judith Jarvis Thomson (October 4, 1929November 20, 2020) was an American philosopher who studied and worked on ethics and metaphysics.

Her work ranges across a variety of fields, but she is most known for her work regarding the thought experiment titled the trolley problem and her writings on abortion.

She is credited with naming, developing, and initiating the extensive literature on the trolley problem first posed by Philippa Foot which has found a wide range use since.

Thomson also published a paper titled "A Defense of Abortion", which makes the argument that the procedure is morally permissible even if it is assumed that a fetus is a person with a right to life.

Thomson was born in New York City, on October 4, 1929.

1938

Helen died from cancer when Judith was six, and on January 29, 1938 Theodore married Gertrude Rubin (1902-1982).

Gertrude was Jewish and had two children.

Thomson’s parents placed no religious pressure on her, but she officially converted to Judaism at age fourteen, when she was confirmed at Temple Israel in Manhattan.

1946

Thomson graduated from Hunter College High School in January 1946.

1950

She received her bachelor's degree (BA) from Barnard College in 1950, a second BA at Newnham College, Cambridge in 1952, an MA from Cambridge in 1956, and a PhD from Columbia University in 1959.

All of her degrees were in philosophy.

She has held fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation (1950–1951), the American Association of University Women (1962–1963), the National Endowment for the Humanities (1978–1979, 1986–1987), the Guggenheim Foundation (1986–1987), and the Center for Advanced Study in Oslo, Norway (1996).

1960

In 1960, Thomson began teaching at Barnard College.

1962

In 1962, she married James Thomson, who was a visiting professor at Columbia University.

Judith and James spent the 1962–1963 academic year at Oxford, after which they moved to Boston.

1964

Judith taught for a year at Boston University and, in 1964, was appointed to the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she was Laurence S. Rockefeller Professor of Philosophy.

James was also appointed a professor of philosophy at MIT.

1971

"A Defense of Abortion" (1971) introduced one thought experiment for which Thomson is especially well known.

Published in 1971, Thomson’s work on abortion is historically connected to and located just prior to the court case of Roe v Wade.

The paper asks the reader to imagine that her circulatory system has, without her consent, been connected to that of a famous violinist whose life she must sustain for nine months.

The hypothetical posed by Thomson notably redirects philosophical attention from the rights of the fetus to those of the pregnant woman.

Specifically, her argument accepts that a fetus is a person, moving past any discussion which revolved around that topic.

Instead, Thomson claims that the bodily autonomy of the woman supersedes any rights of the fetus.

This argument has been widely discussed since, such that it is accepted in some anti-abortion circles to have changed the way in which abortion is debated.

In regards to ethical theories, Thomson was opposed to consequentialist, hedonist, and subjectivist perspectives.

Her work relied on specific elements of deontological argumentation.

1976

Thomson was a visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh (1976), UC Berkeley School of Law (1983), and Yale Law School (1982, 1984, 1985).

1980

The Thomsons divorced in 1980; they remained colleagues until James's death in 1984.

1989

In 1989, Thomson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 1992–1993 she served as president of the American Philosophical Association (APA), Eastern Division.

1999

In 1999, she gave the Tanner Lectures on Human Values at Princeton University; her lecture was titled "Goodness and Advice".

Thomson taught at MIT for the majority of her career, remaining there as professor emerita.

2012

In 2012, Thomson was awarded the Quinn Prize by the American Philosophical Association.

2015

In 2015, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cambridge, and in 2016 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Harvard University.

2016

In 2016, she was elected a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy.

2019

She was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 2019.

2020

Thomson died on November 20, 2020, at the age of 91.

She was buried beside her former husband in Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Thomson's main areas of research were moral philosophy and metaphysics.

In moral philosophy she made significant contributions to meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics.